Arts Journalism: Boot Camp and Capstone 2013
BOOT CAMP
We spent the six weeks meeting many of the cultural leaders in Syracuse, including Steve Kern at the Everson; Tim Bond at Syracuse Stage; Marguerite Mitchell at The Redhouse; Douglas Kinney Frost of Syracuse Opera; and many others. We visited Subcat Studios, a leading music recording venue. We spent a day at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, touring the opera house and meeting with staff members. This was followed by our attendance at a performance of the musical "Camelot." We discussed such issues as how not-for-profit arts groups are funded and the role of the board of directors. We examined a typical budget for an arts organization. We discussed the theories of Richard Florida on how the arts and artists can help revive a moribund city. We looked at how the arts are covered in a dozen American cities. We also worked closely with the Syracuse Media Group and Syracuse New Times to produce 24 articles on a variety of arts related subjects for their print editions and their websites.
CAPSTONE
In May and June, 2013, the Goldring Arts Journalists (AJ) travel to Charleston, S.C., where they cover the Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival for the city's local daily newspaper, The Post and Courier. Through the spring semester, the arts journalists prepare for the trip by developing beats and pitching story ideas to the editors at The Post and Courier. The group mapped out a social media strategy, undertook logo and banner design, and developed a story budget. By the end of the semester, the team was geared up to take on two of the largest arts festivals in the country.
Once they arrived in the palmetto-shaded historic town of Charleston, the fifteen arts journalists produced articles, reviews, photographs, and video for the print and online editions of the paper with deadlines day and night. They covered theater performances, operas, jazz concerts, county music, visual arts shows, dance, circus performances and more. One team of journalists traveled to the beach to cover a sandcastle competition, while others hobnobbed with actors and musicians at glamorous cast parties – on assignment, of course. The AJs created a rush of buzz online with a tsunami of social media as well as beat-specific blogs highlighting festival fashion, goings on about town, and behind the scenes happenings. Each AJ came away from the experience with a fat portfolio of professional clippings in all media.
As Briana Prevost (AJ 2013)said: "Being a daily reporter for the Post and Courier during Spoleto Festival USA challenged me to always be ahead of the curve. We prepared by learning about the arts organizations and their structures, video editing, on-the-spot news coverage, and other skills that made it possible to set a fast pace in reporting. Throughout the year my colleagues and I got to flex the mastery of our own arts specialities, mine being the music industry, and really showcase that with our writing for the Capstone in Charleston. As much work as it was, the task and time management skills it taught us will surely be effective in my new role as a Coordinator for Vh1 at Viacom Media Networks in New York City."
